How To Make A Resolution That You Can Keep

What's the secret to sticking to your New Year's resolutions?

Jennifer Dulski, president and COO of social action platform Change.org, thinks the trick is in the type of resolutions you make. In a recent post for LinkedIn, Dulski outlines the two qualities she sees as essential to making resolutions that she'll actually keep.

First, Dulski says she always makes her resolutions to help someone else. "For my resolutions to work, they couldn't be about me," she explains. "I stepped back and realized what was most important to me in my life were my relationships with others - my family, my friends, and my colleagues. If I could make the people I care about happier by making small changes in my own behavior, it would make me happier as well."

Second, she committed to making resolutions that were simple enough for her to follow them consistently. For example, in past years she's committed to closing drawers and cabinets all the way (it drove her husband nuts when she didn't) and to telling her daughters that she loved watching them dance.

"I focused on small, easy things that I knew I would be able to do (or not do) on a regular basis," Dulski writes. "Small actions can make a big difference to others around you, especially if you know the pet peeves that bother them or the small things that can really make their day and focus your attention on those areas."